GOSHEN, Ind. – Even though their regular season is still months away, the Goshen College baseball team has been hard at work this fall preparing for what promises to be an exciting spring season with an excellent blend of experienced veterans and talented incoming class.

On Wednesday, their fall came to a close in the First Annual Gray & Purple Fall Classic.  The one game – winner takes all – contest was led by senior captains who also served as their teams coaches.  They were responsible for a closed door player draft on Monday, a team practice Tuesday, as well as all game management decisions Wednesday. The players also wore throwback jerseys from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

The gray team – led by player/coaches Aaron Coy and Josh Yates – rallied from one-run down twice and scored twice in the bottom of the seventh before holding on for a 3-2 win in the inaugural event.

Both starting picthers cruised as players struggled to adjust to the ice cold temperatures outside.  Purple starter, freshman Ben Diedring did not give up a hit in his 2 2/3 innings of hitless work before he reached the game’s maximum pitch count of 45.  Gray starter, sophomore Shane Davis was equal to the task as he fired two scoreless frames.

The purple team – behind player/coaches Sean Sears and Kraig Miller – took the early lead in the third inning.  After sophomore Andy Swisher walked and reached second on a wild pitch, freshman third baseman Brett Hunter got an RBI single to right field for the game’s opening run.

In the bottom of the fifth, the gray team knotted the game up at 1-1 as freshman catcher Nathan Stanley doubled, stole third, and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Pre-game speed up rules allowed for any inning after the seventh to start with a runner on first base.  The purple team used some small ball to take advantage of the rules and take the lead once again.  After a drag-bunt single by freshman Corey Johnson, Swisher sacrificed the pair of runners into scoring position, while also being able to reach base on a fielding error.  Senior Zac Miller then laid down another perfect bunt as the purple team squeezed home their go-ahead run.  They could not, however, push another run across the board and the game moved to the bottom of the 7th.

With the tying run placed on first to start the inning, freshman shortstop Andrew Brawley ripped a double to left-center to tie the game at 2-2.  After two outs were recorded, sophomore outfielder Tyler Parsons delivered an RBI single as the gray team moved ahead for the first time.

Senior right-hander Matt Fyfe had come out of the bullpen in the 7th and came up huge for his team as he threw three scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.  Coy also was strong on the mound for the gray team, going 2 1/3 scoreless frames in the middle innings.

The entire team will now focus on off-season workouts before beginning full-team practice again in January.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 and is filed under Baseball, Main Feature, News.